A thermal mounting process within the meaning of the invention is intended to be understood as all mounting processes of electronic assemblies in which the product is changed to its final state with the aid of thermal energy. Conventional mounting processes comprise joining operations, such as soldering contacts of components on the substrate for example. As an alternative, adhesive bonding can also be performed, wherein a thermal adhesive, that is to say an adhesive which cures under the action of temperature, is used in a thermal mounting process. However, the thermal mounting processes are also intended to be understood to mean the so-called special operations of mounting, such as applying an auxiliary material, such as a thermal coating, which is cured with the aid of heat, for example.
The invention further relates to an electronic assembly which has a substrate, an electrical heating device being embedded in said substrate beneath the surface which forms a mounting side for components. Components which are combined in at least one electronic circuit are mounted on said mounting side.
It is known to embed heating devices in substrate components. According to U.S. Pat. No. 6,396,706 B1, heating elements which are independent of one another can be embedded, for example, in printed circuit boards. According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,186, said heating elements can be constructed from sheet resistors or from meandering designs of a heating wire. According to the prior art, the heating devices can be used both for heating the printed circuit board during a mounting process and can also be used for introducing heat in a targeted manner during operation of the completely mounted electronic assembly.